Zelda: Breath of the Wild Dev Getting Help From Xenoblade Team

There was a lot to learn about the new Legend of Zelda game, Breath of the Wild, at E3 this year. We discovered that you can beat the game without finishing the story, that Link can use his shield as a snowboard, and why the upcoming game won't feature a playable female hero. And now, series creator Shigeru Miyamoto has told Game Informer that Xenoblade developer Monolith Soft is helping Nintendo with development.

"Yes, they are involved in this Zelda," he said. "People from Tokyo and Kyoto are working together on this. There is a team of over 100 [from Monolith Soft] helping work on this project, and their work has really been helpful." Game Informer notes that Monolith Soft have worked on Zelda in the past, helping with the 2011's Skyward Sword.

Miyamoto didn't confirm what the Xenoblade studio was helping with specifically, but with the developer's history of large open worlds, it's not hard to imagine they'd be helpful.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild releases for Wii U and NX in 2017.

Monolith Soft's last game, Xenoblade Chronicles X, received a score of 8 in GameSpot's review, in which critic Peter Brown said, "[It] is a grand adventure that satiates your appetite for exploration and combat in ways that few games ever do, but because getting started is half the battle, it’s an experience reserved for dedicated players who have the patience and energy to unearth its greatest treasures."

You can check out more Nintendo stories from E3 through the links below.

• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Hands-on Impressions
• Why Zelda: Breath of the Wild's Link is Right-Handed
• Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Trailer Shows New Weapons, Abilities
• Paper Mario: Color Splash Gets Release Date, Features Talking Paint Bucket
• New Mario Party Box Art Seems to Be From a SpaghettiOs Can
• New 3DS Game Ever Oasis Features Dungeon Crawling, Oasis Building

Head over to GameSpot's E3 hub to catch up on any news or impressions you may have missed from this year's event.